Current:Home > ScamsVideo shows a meteotsunami slamming Lake Michigan amid days of severe weather. Here's what to know.-LoTradeCoin
Video shows a meteotsunami slamming Lake Michigan amid days of severe weather. Here's what to know.
View Date:2024-12-23 20:50:07
Back-to-back days of severe weather brought widespread flooding across the Midwest — and even a tsunami on Lake Michigan. It wasn't the typical kind of tsunami caused by seismic activity, but footage of the weather event showed how dangerous rising tides can be.
The event that transpired on the shores of Lake Michigan is known as a "meteotsunami," which according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are large waves driven by air-pressure disturbances that often come with severe thunderstorms and squalls. When the storm hits, it creates a large wave that moves toward the shore.
The Great Lakes are no stranger to these events. The Weather Channel said about 100 occur in the region every year, and this one appeared to be relatively small.
Bob Dukesherer, a senior forecaster at the National Weather Service office in Grand Rapids, Michigan, told CBS News that Tuesday's meteotsunami "was on the small side," measuring 1 to 2 feet on the south end of Lake Michigan and a foot or less in western Lower Michigan.
"We are not aware of any major damage," Dukesherer said. "We did receive one report of some larger plastic walkway sections on a beach being strewn about by the water rise, otherwise, no major damage that we are aware of."
A video posted by the city of Holland shows the water of Lake Michigan taking over a beach shore during heavy rain.
While these types of events "happen fairly often in the Great Lakes," Dukesherer said that they are usually "very small, less than a foot." This week's, however, was driven by a strong line of thunderstorms that had winds measuring "at times to near-hurricane force" at about 75 mph, he said.
Unlike meteotsunamis, which are triggered by atmospheric conditions, regular tsunamis are triggered by seismic activity and can get far larger and leave significantly more damage in their wake. Tsunami waves are known to exceed 100 feet, but meteotsunamis typically pack waves of roughly 6 feet or less. Some events, however, have reached larger heights.
In April 2018, a meteotsunami in Lake Michigan caused a water level change of 8 feet, which Dukesherer described as "very significant," adding that it produced damage in the Michigan cities of Ludington and Manistee.
"The biggest events that we are aware of have produced double-digit water-level changes on the order of 10-20 feet. An event in 1954 swept people off a breakwater in Chicago, resulting in multiple fatalities," he said. "So in the realm of meteotsunamis, this was on the smaller side but still notable."
Spotting one of these events can be difficult.
"Identifying a meteotsunami is a challenge because its characteristics are almost indistinguishable from a seismic tsunami," NOAA says. "It can also be confused with wind-driven storm surge or a seiche. These uncertainties make it difficult to predict a meteotsunami and warn the public of a potential event."
The National Weather Service's Grand Rapids station said on Tuesday that passing storms had brought "damaging winds and hail to the region" as well as strong wind gusts. The Midwest faced back-to-back weather extremes this month, with dangerously hot temperatures followed by days of rain and storms that left some emergency declarations and evacuations in nearby states.
- In:
- Science of Weather
- Severe Weather
- Lake Michigan
- Tsunami
- Michigan
Li Cohen is a senior social media producer at CBS News. She previously wrote for amNewYork and The Seminole Tribune. She mainly covers climate, environmental and weather news.
TwitterveryGood! (825)
Related
- Old Navy's Early Black Friday Deals Start at $1.97 -- Get Holiday-Ready Sweaters, Skirts, Puffers & More
- Nevada fake electors won’t stand trial until January 2025 under judge’s new schedule
- US sanctions Zimbabwe president Emmerson Mnangagwa over human rights abuses
- A judge orders prison for a Michigan man who made threats against Jewish people
- Former West Virginia jail officer pleads guilty to civil rights violation in fatal assault on inmate
- Trump tried to crush the 'DEI revolution.' Here's how he might finish the job.
- This oral history of the 'Village Voice' captures its creativity and rebelliousness
- Masked gunmen kill 4, wound 3 at outdoor party in central California, police say
- Veterans face challenges starting small businesses but there are plenty of resources to help
- Deputies fatally shot a double-murder suspect who was holding a chrome shower head
Ranking
- FBI offers up to $25,000 reward for information about suspect behind Northwest ballot box fires
- Florida gymnastics coach charged with having sex with 2 underage students
- Rare Deal Alert- Get 2 Benefit Fan Fest Mascaras for the Price of 1 and Double Your Lash Game
- California officials give Waymo the green light to expand robotaxis
- 13 escaped monkeys still on the loose in South Carolina after 30 were recaptured
- Sinéad O'Connor's estate slams Donald Trump for using 'Nothing Compares 2 U' at rallies
- Denver Broncos inform QB Russell Wilson they’ll release him when new league year begins
- Missing Houston girl E'minie Hughes found safe, man arrested in connection to disappearance
Recommendation
-
Traveling to Las Vegas? Here Are the Best Black Friday Hotel Deals
-
TLC’s Chilli Is a Grandma After Son Tron Welcomes Baby With His Wife Jeong
-
Man killed by Connecticut state trooper was having mental health problems, witnesses testify
-
Masked gunmen kill 4, wound 3 at outdoor party in central California, police say
-
Wall Street makes wagers on the likely winners and losers in a second Trump term
-
What will Fed chair say about interest rates? Key economy news you need to know this week.
-
Father pleads guilty to manslaughter in drowning death of son
-
The owners of a Christian boarding school in Missouri are jailed and charged with kidnapping crimes